AeroHive Plans WiFi Networks for Free

by Wayne Rash

This is the floor plan of the imaginary office created for testing the AeroHive WiFi Planner. Obviously, it’s imaginary because no real office would have that many windows. To start the planning process, upload a PNG or JPG file to the Planner.

The first step is to define the perimeter of the building. Here it’s shown as the blue line around the outside.

Once you upload your floor plan, tell the software what materials are in the walls and other features using the drawing tools and the drop-down box. Here I’m telling the software about the windows in the conference room.

Once the software knows about the walls, it can automatically place the APs. Once that’s done, it only takes seconds to get a drawing like this, with the APs in place and their respective coverage patterns.

Users can change the type, characteristics or location of any AP. For example, I could see what will happen with more or less power output.

If I chose the wrong material for my walls, I can change it and the plan will adjust. Here, for example, I changed the walls for the interior hall from drywall to concrete. Note that the APs are in different locations, including a new one in the hallway itself.

Once planning is complete, the AeroHive Planner creates a PDF file that can be provided to the installer.